The ecoVillages project feels blessed, and i am now SO confident that we are going to be building and holding our first earthship workshop here very soon! After many weeks of waiting for the right moment i have finally connected with a local architect who knows the situation here with all aspects of building very well. I think its fair to say that the conversation couldn’t have gone any better! Her name is Ema, and she is also very supportive of eco building, although she is trained as a traditional architect. I explained the vision of the entire project to her, and also shared the 3D model of the Fibonacci spiral earthship that I have designed. Ema said she thinks it will be fine and that there should be no issues with tyres or anything we want to do here!

It is fortunate that Penamacor has chosen me to do this here.. that’s how it feels... I didn't choose it.. it just reached out and plucked me off of the mountains of India and put me right where i needed to be, and at JUST the right time!

Ema was really enthused, and almost immediately offered to help me for free! She said " my husband will kill me but.. im going to do this for free".. How happy was I to hear these words.. i don't know what to say really other than.. this project is blessed, and SO important right now ... i also don’t have words to explain HOW important.. but i think you know! SO many people are flocking here, all buying empty land with no idea what or how to build. Many are forced off grid as most cheap land has no power or even water supply, and everyone is basically running around all day trying to make SOMETHING to live in!

I feel like a cat poised to pounce on a project that has motivated me like nothing else for 20 years now. I've done everything i can to promote earthship biotecture and sustainable and off grid living for so long, but until now it has always felt like very few people are ready to take this step. Now its quite different, and being in Portugal rather than the remote mountains of India certainly makes it much easier for me to reach out and just build the dream that i have been holding for so long.

Community now means something so different to how it ever looked to me. I used to imagine everyone living together on the same land, co existing, sharing and collaborating on all the aspects of life. That path is one that is littered with challenges and often with conflict.. and most people who have tried it will tell you that it is very hard create a community that can all live together peacefully. Now i see the path so clearly, and it is already happening here. Land is SO cheap here that it is no longer a barrier to entry. If you have literally NO money then there are so many options to stay and help with other people on their land. So there is a way to start here even if you have nothing. In fact i am now hosting two such people, a lovely couple from the UK who live in their tiny truck and are just looking for a place to settle for the winter. I offered then space on our ecoVillages land and they are here now planning to build an geodome with my help. Most of my friends with land are also hosting one or even several people. Those people who have land NEED HELP!.. so its a beautiful synergy.

So watch this space folks! I think that very soon we are going to be able to start publicising the first workshop, and if my feeling is right we may well begin in March 2021.. but maybe even sooner!!

Fibonacci Spiral Earthship 3D Fly through Reveal
Below is a 3D model of the design I am working on. This model is a biotecture plan and not a design plan. The colours and layout of furniture are examples. The roof will be a simple sloped structure, but the material will differ from that shown in this model.

The building faces South, with the hottest west side bermed with soil and grass to protect it from long summer days.

The shapes and structure of this Earthship model all serve functions. These may relate to structural strength, or performance. Performance is critical in this building, especially to keep cool. You will see long silver pipes in the walls. These are cooling tubes and allow the air to cool down naturally as it passes through them. The house vents mainly from the greenhouse skylights. If the sliding french doors are opened in the lounge, this will allow hot air to quickly pass out of the house and then sucking in fresh cool air.

I hope you enjoy this dynamic eye candy! Let me know if you would like to live in this home?! This design is one that I hope to build and then improve and share with others that come to the area. It is possible to make this design smaller or bigger depending on personal needs.